Critic Reviews

There are no real faults concerning gameplay, so we are left with a couple of technical problems that could have unquestionably been improved. First. This full US copy has PAL-sized borders, a rarity only seen before in the original Descent, so what will happen when the game is converted to our native system?
And second, the graphics are primitive to say the least, with bare textures and not much fine detail. Animation on your missing links is also woeful. A bit of a shame really, but fortunately the pioneering concept is enough to keep you captivated without worrying about aesthetics. If you’re ready for something different, Tail of the Sun is certainly recommended.

Evolve or perish in this game, that puts you in control of a not-very-modern Stone Age family. Depending on how adept you are at hunting and gathering in the prehistoric wild, certain abilities — intelligence, running, jumping, even fertility — become more advanced with each generation. Slower than a woolly mammoth, Tail of the Sun won't likely leave you hollering ''Yabba-dabba-doo,'' but it will provide a tranquil alternative to the usual hyperactive videogame fare.

Artdink should be applauded for creating a game as fresh and original as this and Sony should be commended for releasing the game in the states. It's cute, amusing, funny, addictive and just plain different from anything else on the market today. In the end, this game could best be described as the ultimate Seinfeld episode...It's a funny little story about nothing!

It's not exactly an adventure, but it's not exactly a reality sim either. Tail of the Sun is an intriguing mixture of simplistic gameplay and simulation that, while it may seem slow at times, is always interesting.

I'll be honest with you, most of you will not like this game at all, but I can only give it one grade. Tail of the Sun is a truly unique, bizarre game, and I played it more than most of the seen-it-before, run-of-the-mill games we get in the office. If you like flashy new stuff, high tech programming, or massive firepower, you will not like this game. But if you're a weird sort of person, have a longer attention span than average, and you're sick of all the tired genre games, check out Tail of the Sun and let your freak flag fly!

While the core idea is sound, most of the time the game's environment is painfully desolate and the player's character horribly difficult to control. The inclusion of some tidily realised AI is not enough to redress the balance. Commendable as the concept is, Tail of the Sun is let down by sloppy execution. It is neither exciting nor substantial enough to persuade the player to overlook its glaring weaknesses.

The best part of Tail of the Sun is freely (if awkwardly) exploring your widely-terrained world and slowly gathering the physical and mental wherewithal to take down a mammoth - an activity which I guarantee you will mess up, and mess up badly, on your first attempt. Perseverance and stubbornness will eventually lead to a tribe of up to 100 people and the eventual construction of the Tower to the sun, but there just isn't enough variety here to keep the attention of the upright-walking.